Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Wankat, Purdue University; Kamyar Haghighi, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

-active advising to ensure their plans meet both graduationrequirements and their educational objectives. The most popular concentration is currentlyacoustical engineering. An intensive and extensive assessment program that individually tracksthe progress of each of the sixty students on the twelve program outcomes was developed. TheMDE program was ultimately successful in obtaining ABET accreditation. The assessmentprocedures developed here provide a model for proving that all students including transferstudents have met program outcomes. Based on analysis with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,male students in MDE are more likely to be intuitive, feeling and perceptive than male studentsin other engineering majors. These differences are

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarel Lavy, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

. Examples for this include, but are not limited to, monitoring dailymaintenance, operations, and energy consumption; conducting condition assessments andbenchmarking studies; adapting and complying with policies and regulations; and assisting withthe implementation of the organization’s strategic and tactical planning. Often, facility managersalso confront stringent budget constraints; therefore, tools to assist in their decision makingshould be developed and offered.Universities, in a broad sense, are educational entities imparting higher education atundergraduate and graduate levels and providing opportunities for research and development.Universities offer academic programs to fulfill their goals of providing relevant education in thedesired

Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bradley Striebig, James Madison University; Susan Norwood, Gonzaga University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

. Assess and evaluate water quality. 7. Apply principles of epidemiology to the design of an evaluation plan for a water and Page 14.943.5 sanitation project 4 8. Articulate social justice issues associated with health and health interventions in emerging nations. 9. Prepare and implement health and engineering content for Benin junior high and high school students in English 10. Articulate basic principles of second language acquisition as they apply to Benin educational contexts.Course designBased on these course

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana; Paul Kuban, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

need is for graduates with the ability to crossmultidisciplinary boundaries and work with both electrical and mechanical systems, such asrobotics and sophisticated factory lines. Because the BSE program was developed in such a wayas to allow for variation in a student's program of study, a combination of elective courses, fromboth the electrical and mechanical areas of interest, was outlined and presented to the USI facultyand EAB for consideration in 2008. This mixture of electrical and mechanical studies, nowcommonly referred to as Mechatronics, was well-received by both the faculty and the EAB, andseveral students have already initiated this plan of study.Review of Other Mechatronics ProgramsMechatronics is relatively new field, with the

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dugan Um, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi; Bahram Asiabanpour, Texas State University; Jesus Jimenez, Texas State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2009-3: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MICRO/NANO ASSEMBLY WORK CELLVIA MICROVISUAL SENSINGDugan Um, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi DUGAN UM achieved his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Sensitive robotic skin for unknown environments motion planning was the subject of his dissertation. After he received his degree, he joined Caterpillar Inc. as a research engineer and worked for 4 years at Caterpillar R&D group and Research center. Currently he is at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi delivering his 4 years of engineering experiences into classes. He is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Engineering & Technology, Mechanical

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gregory Fischer, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gary Pollice, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

and a robot.By incorporating hardware and software components developed in RBE 3001, the studentsperform experiments which involve topics such as: hardware/software partitioning; control of amobile platform; multi-sensor data fusion, motion planning, world modeling and reasoning in thepresence of uncertainty.In teaching the course, each week begins a new major topic and breaks that topic into fourcomponents that cover the system hardware requirements, hardware implementation choices,software requirements and software implementation choices. Each of these aspects of a majortopic is given (typically) a day of lecture time. This way, for each topic students see how thevarious mechanical, electrical and computer components of a system interact

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claudio Talarico, Eastern Washington University; Esteban Rodriguez-Marek, Eastern Washington University; Min-Sung Koh, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

undergraduateelectrical engineering students as early in the curriculum as possible to the challenges presentedby real projects. The project had to be relatively long term, multidisciplinary, and it had torequire both technical depth and breadth, problem solving skills, ethical responsibilities,communication skills, effective teamwork and planning skills. The basic idea was to engagestudents in an activity that would emulate as closely as possible the industrial environment theywill be facing soon after graduation providing students with the opportunity to gain the skills andtools needed in the day-to-day practice of engineering. Toward this end, in collaboration with thebiology department, a group of undergraduate electrical engineering students were

Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Skokan, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

TABLE 1 ENERGY CURRICULUM FOR A TWO-YEAR COLLEGEEnergy Resources CourseUnderstanding the resources that are present on Native American Lands will help tribalcommunities to better plan the use and exploitation of these resources. The Energy Resourcesclass is designed to present a balanced view of traditional and alternative energy sources. Thefor each energy resource, a life-cycle analysis approach has been designed. The sources are: ≠ Oil and Gas ≠ Coal ≠ Nuclear ≠ Hydroelectric ≠ Geothermal ≠ Solar ≠ Wind ≠ Biomass ≠ Synthetic Fuels ≠ Fuel CellsThe life-cycle analysis will address the topics: ≠ Geologic or geographic occurrence ≠ Cost of extraction ≠ Efficiency in

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maher Rizkalla, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

, physics, solid state devices, CAD, and energyconversion—all combined in one project. The project proposes a new methodology to optimizecompound semiconductor thermal and electrical properties optimized for high speed operationand properly interfaced across the composite device layers. The mathematical modelincorporating the differential equations with boundary conditions across various interfaces wasdeveloped. The paper details the research plan, methodology, and the findings of the project.This model was chosen to build on pre-requisite materials covered in ECE, ME, and Physicscurricula such as thermal sciences, semiconductor devices, solid state physics, electromagnetics,CAD, and mathematical simulation tools. The results obtained during one

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Ciaraldi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Eben Cobb, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Fred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Robert Norton, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

will produce itsfirst graduates in May 2009 and it is planned to seek ABET-EAC accreditation under generalengineering criteria in the 2010-2011 academic year.The RBE program objectives are to educate men and women to: ≠ Have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Systems Engineering. ≠ Apply these abstract concepts and practical skills to design and construct robots and robotic systems for diverse applications. ≠ Have the imagination to see how robotics can be used to improve society and the entrepreneurial background and spirit to make their ideas become reality. ≠ Demonstrate the ethical behavior and standards expected of

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Salah Badjou, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Loutfallah Georges Chedid, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

software to control a mechanical apparatus. In addition, the graduates have excellentlaboratory and machine shop skills.A biomedical systems engineering specialization was established in the form of a concentrationwithin a well established electromechanical engineering program. The addition of theconcentration required only limited additional resources. The result is a high-quality programthat is competitive with other biomedical engineering programs offered in Massachusetts. Theprogram has attracted a substantial number of students, and has expanded opportunities for ourgraduates. The Electromechanical Engineering Faculty Committee8, composed of eleven facultymembers drawn from various disciplines, thoroughly researched, planned, and

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Helen McNally, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

nanotechnology curriculum development using thespiral curriculum to introduce freshman to the ideas of nanotechnology and introductorycourses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These courses emphasize the electricalaspects of nanotechnology and nanoelectronics. Laboratory exercises center around aninstructional SPM and demonstration laboratories. Future course in specific areas ofnanotechnology are planned. Curriculum development in nanotechnology has providedexciting opportunities to affect the overall curriculum of this ECET department.References[1] http://www.nsti.org/courses/[2] http://www.azonano.com/courses/courses.asp[3] http://www.latech.edu/coes/nanosystems-engineering/[4] http://www.esm.psu.edu/programs/undergraduate/nano/[5] Foster

Conference Session

Engineering and Other Disciplines

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Anderson, University of Alabama; Beth Todd, University of Alabama; Susan Burkett, University of Alabama; Garry Warren, University of Alabama; Marcus Brown, University of Alabama; David Cordes, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

appropriate for “professional” credit, and students should instead be takingsenior-level courses in their respective disciplines. Within the liberal arts, students had no wayof applying an engineering course towards their degree plan; it was often an additional coursethat was not required of them.However, all students at our institution are required to complete a common core curriculum.This core curriculum includes multiple courses in the humanities and fine arts. Given this, weare in the process of institutionalizing a limited enrollment course that engineering studentscould take for humanities and fine arts credit – it would count towards the core curriculum for

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yanfei Liu, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne; Jiaxin Zhao, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science at IPFW and alocal company initiated a 5-year project to promote robotics, artificial intelligence, and softwareengineering in the college curricula. The main goal of this project is to build a robot team tocompete in the Robocup Middle Size League competition2 by 2012. This project also aims atintroducing robotics into a variety of computer science and engineering courses. As part of thefirst year plan, a Pioneer 3-DX robot was purchased. Using this robot as a development platform,the first task was to design and build a kicking mechanism that is seamlessly connected andinterfaced with this robot. This task was carefully reviewed by the professors whose expertise arein Robotics and machine

Conference Session

Engineering and Other Disciplines

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Weese, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

administrators are presented acompelling case that includes estimates of enrollments and the resources needed to develop apotential course, as well as plans to seek external funding for course development, they will bemore inclined to provide seed money and/or released time to start the project.Examples of Potential EI CoursesEI 101: Electric Energy Generation and Distribution. Systems and their efficiencies for Page 14.274.4generating electric power by steam-driven generators; hydroelectric, wind, and solar collectorelectric power generation. Components of electric power grids. Costs of electric powergeneration. Data on the consumption of electric

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Josef Rojter, Victoria University of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

engineeringcourses are not based on one curriculum but are composed of many disciplinary subjectswhich form, hopefully, a network of epistemic elements constructed to unify professionalknowledge. In reality, professional engineering courses can be often seen as a collection ofsubjects in search of a unifying objective.Grunert19 distinguishes curricula in terms of style of delivery rather than knowledge contexts.He identifies 5 principle curriculum planning models outlined in table 1. Content-led,Rational and Assessment-led models largely represent a linear view of knowledge. Though,in style, the PBL curriculum model, like the Rational and Assessment-led models, isoutwardly outcome driven, nevertheless like the Fuzzy model it can also construct the non

Conference Session

Engineering and Other Disciplines

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carlotta Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Matthew Boutell, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Steve Chenoweth, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; David Fisher, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

including robot components, sensors, locomotion, feedback control, reactivecontrol, behavior-based control, and other key topics in robotics research.Multidisciplinary Robotics Senior ProjectsThe goal of the program’s senior design projects is to bring together students across departmentalboundaries to work together to solve difficult problems in robotics. The PIs planned to formalizethis process over the next three years as students transitioned through curriculum. However, theapproval of this robotics curriculum in Fall, 2008 was met with such a huge reception thatseveral upperclassmen expressed a desire to earn the certificate. Although exciting, this meantthat the PIs had to immediately identify multidisciplinary senior design project

Conference Session

Engineering and Other Disciplines

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Chang, United States Military Academy; Peter Hanlon, United States Military Academy; Kirk Ingold, United States Military Academy; Robert Rabb, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

crawl, walk and run approach. During the crawlstage, the instructors will review the critical material focusing primarily on lectures. The walkstage lets students read and investigate possible solutions to the problem presented thus focusingon student reading and learning outside of the classroom. Finally, during the run stage thestudents will integrate the review and research material and discuss/apply the solution with teammembers to a robotics platform. This provides the students time for experimentation andteamwork. The final design project allows the students to be innovative and creative with theirdesign. In the end, the final design project is briefed to the instructor with a demonstration of thedesign, explanation of plan, and an oral

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Kongar; Jani Pallis; Tarek Sobh

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Page 14.34.8School of Engineering. 8REFERENCES1. Johnson, S.A. and J. Zhu, Identifying "Best" Applicants in Recruiting Using Data Envelopment Analysis. Socio- Economic Planning Sciences, 2003. 37(2): p. 125-139.2. Sarkis, J., A Methodological Framework for Evaluating Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Programs. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 1999. 36(4): p. 793-810.3. Sarkis, J., Ecoefficiency: How Data Envelopment Analysis Can Be Used By Managers and Researchers, in Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing, Nov 6-8 2000. 2001, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers: Boston, MA. p. 194-203.4. Talluri, S., R.C

Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Belle Wei, San Jose State University; Patricia Backer, San Jose State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

professor in Political Science, Dr. Lawrence Quill. In their research, theyfound that over 50% of students (nationally)13 and approximately 37% of students at San JoseState University14 are suffering from health issues that are related to their poor eating habits. Thestudent team developed a comprehensive plan to establish rooftop farms atop the buildings of theSJSU campus in order to provide students with cheap, campus-grown food. This project couldlower the carbon footprint of SJSU while helping to provide healthier, lower cost food choicesfor students and staff.Based upon the CSI pilot course, we initiated a new six-unit Climate Solution Initiative (CSI)course to be offered in Fall 2009. The CSI course fulfills the requirements of two different

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Ciaraldi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Eben Cobb, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; David Cyganski, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Michael Demetriou; Greg Fischer; Michael Gennert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Fred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bradley Miller, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Yiming Rong, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Kenneth Stafford, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gretar Tryggvason, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; James Van de Ven, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

undecided: 140 WPI 2008 Total entering: 918 Engineering undecided: 167 Table I. Enrollment as reported at the fall of 2007 and 2008 by the WPI Registrars Office.While it is difficult to detect any major effect of the RBE program on the enrollment in the otherengineering programs at WPI, its effect on the overall enrollment has been dramatic. WPI hasrecently embarked on a plan to slightly expand its incoming class size and the intention was toenroll about 800 students in the class of 2012. The institution competes for students with severalwell-known technological universities and usually admits significantly larger class thaneventually enrolls. Nevertheless, the Institution uses relatively well

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Rabb, United States Military Academy; Andrew Biaglow, United States Military Academy; David Chang, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

class preparation and assignments. Since they comparenotes between instructors and help each other, the instructors are basically being watched byother students outside of the classroom. This heightens the instructors’ awareness to beconsistent and up to date.ChallengesIt is well documented in general literature on interdisciplinary teaching that the greatest hurdlefor the instructors is the time and energy required to work as a team.5-7 In this controlsengineering course with application to electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering, theinstructors agree that deliberate time management and planning are essential. Schedulingmeetings between faculties of three different departments is more difficult, but a committedteaching team can make

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Farison, Baylor University; Zhuocheng Yang, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

row) of Figure 1 are availablefrom the ABET website. Nonetheless, the detailed three-year history given in Figure 1 providessome very useful historical perspective for ASEE planning for the number of ASEE PEVs thatmay be needed for future years. Additional detail is provided in the following tables: TABLE 1. Year of First Accreditation of Multidisciplinary Engineering Programs TABLE 2. Multidisciplinary and Other Engineering Programs TABLE 3. Multidisciplinary Engineering Program Accreditation Schedule TABLE 4. Date of Next General Review for Continuing AccreditationThis paper concludes with the Summary and References following these tables